Week 102: The Art of Gesturing – #AlphaFemaleFriday

Sit with your legs crossed. Fold your hands and look, but don’t stare, and smile. It’s no wonder that many of us haven’t learned the art of gesturing. We tend to fall into either the beauty queen pageant camp or the prototypical politician party. When we’re told to take up space and use our gestures, we may become overzealous and become larger than life. Our grandiose demeanor detracts from our message and becomes a form of entertainment and distraction. We end up taking away from our message instead of adding to it.

On the other end of the spectrum, we become an “ax gesturer”. We look tense and rehearsed. It’s like we’re back in elementary school, quivering in front of a classroom of fifteen people, flashcards wedged between our hands, as we stick out a hand here and there, hoping that will suffice. It’s consistent but predictable, and there’s no passion to it. Our message won’t be remembered at all.

Even if you’re talking to a room full of strangers, you may find that it’s helpful to think of them as people you know. I’m not sure who gave the advice to imagine people wearing less than they are wearing as a mild form of comedy or relaxation, but I like to imagine I’m talking to a friend or family member when making a public speech. I end up speaking more naturally, like I’m talking with them at the dinner table. It softens messages that can otherwise come off as terse, and it strengthens messages that may not be taken seriously if I’m trying too hard (AKA going for the Miss Universe crown). Enjoy taking up the space!

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.